Not to become DMK's face in Delhi: Kanimozhi

New Delhi, July 26: Ms K Kanimozhi, daughter of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, today sought to dispel speculation about her imminent induction into the Union Cabinet and becoming DMK's face in the capital, stating that she would like to wait until the next Lok Sabha elections in early 2009.

''Let me wait for two-three years, maybe until the next Lok Sabha elections,'' she told reporters who wanted to know whether she would join the Manmohan Singh government immediately or it would take six months to one year.

She was talking to reporters at the new Tamil Nadu House after taking oath as a Rajya Sabha member at the Rajya Sabha Chairman's chamber at Parliament House amid expectation that she would be accommodated at the Centre in the next Cabinet reshuffle.

Dr Singh, while returning from Germany after attending the G8 summit last month, had told reporters that he would expand his Ministry after the Presidential election.

Asked whether her becoming an MP signified that she would be the face of the DMK in the capital, she said the party had several senior leaders. She would be one among them.

Asked what would she do if the party forced her to join the central government, she said there was no question of any such development. At the same time, she was not the one who would run away from responsibility and there was a ''time and occasion'' for everything.

To a question on women's reservation, she said her views were no different from that of her party. She would take up in Parliament all the issues that she has been espousing all these years at various fora in Tamil Nadu.

Replying to a question, she said empowerment of women could not be viewed in isolation, focusing on one or two issues. The primary necessity was making women aware of their rights, besides providing them education and economic independence. ''There is need for a holistic approach.'' A reporter observed that she was now a writer and a poet in her own right after getting inspiration from her father initially and asked whether she would carve out a bigger niche for herself in this area.

She said she would make constant endeavours to improve herself.

Only making an effort was in her hands and ''let us see where I reach.'' Earlier, Acting Rajya Sabha Chairman K Rahman Khan administered the oath of office to Ms Kanimozhi and two others -- Tiruchi Siva (DMK) and D Raja, National Secretary of the CPI.

She spoke to reporters at Parliament House also and obliged media photographers.

Ms Kanimozhi said becoming a member was a great honour and a responsibility and she would try her best to live up to the expectations of party leaders.

She said she would have special focus on uplifting the downtrodden and empowerment of women.

Dr Singh, Mr Karunanidhi and his cabinet colleagues and several Union Ministers from Tamil Nadu, including Finance Minister P Chidambaram, attended the function.

The DMK chief had, last month, indicated that his daughter would be inducted into the Union Cabinet, but denied it on Tuesday that there was any such plan.

UNI